It’s not a trick question. Many freelance writers would say something along the lines of “not unless I pretty much wanted to ruin my career.” Being known as someone who discusses their clients in public isn’t a good reputation to have. If I were looking to hire someone to work with me, I would hesitate to hire someone who I discovered was engaging in this type of behavior. To be honest, I wouldn’t want to be next on the list. If you wouldn’t put information about a client on a billboard, then you shouldn’t be posting it online. The Internet [Read more…]

When you are looking for new opportunities to advance your freelance writing career, there are two tracks you should keep in mind. The good news is that you can (and should) be working on both of them at once. Work Available Now Cash flow is what keeps a freelance writer’s business afloat. When you are starting out, you need to land paying clients who have projects available now. As you develop your business, you may look to content sites or answer job ads to keep you busy and keep money coming in. Future Opportunities The second type of opportunity that [Read more…]

We talk a lot here at Freelance Writing Jobs about how to find work and how to treat clients at the beginning of your working relationship. How you behave at the end of the gig is just as important. Sometimes your relationship with a client ends because you have decided that it’s time to move on. You may have found higher paying work elsewhere or you may have decided not to work with that client for personal reasons. In other situations, the decision to end the working relationship is made by the client. They may not have any more work [Read more…]

If you are responding to an ad or are preparing a pitch for a potential client but you don’t want to include a formal resume. There is are a way that you can tell the client about your experience without using one: the resume letter. Here’s how it works: Start your letter off in the usual way to introduce yourself and explain why you are making contact with the client. Then include a list of points from your resume that show the client why you are a good fit for the ad you are responding to or the role that [Read more…]

When it comes to looking for freelance writing job opportunities, I’m of the “Leave No Stone Unturned” school of thought. Along with checking out job postings and preparing pitches for potential clients, you may want to consider signing up for Google Alerts. The process is very easy. You visit the Google Alerts page  and fill out the online form indicating whether you want to receive Alerts from Google News, the Web, blogs, or groups. Choosing “Comprehensive” gives you Alerts from all sources. Next, set up the frequency you would like to receive Google Alerts. You can choose to get them [Read more…]

I wanted to follow up on the suggestions I made in my post about asking a client for more work with some more specific tips. 1. Make sure this is someone you want to work with again. Don’t ask someone for more work if you really would rather not work with them again. If this client is someone you find difficult to deal with and you cringe at the thought of doing anything else for them as opposed to being excited or at least interested in getting started, skip the request for more assignments. Just thank them for their business [Read more…]

As freelance writers, we spend a certain amount of our time in search of new projects. When you are looking for work, do you apply to ads blindly, or do you limit your search to those that closely match your skills and abilities? Sometimes we can get caught up in wanting to stay busy and we think that if we keep applying for available jobs that we will keep our plates full with plenty of work. This isn’t the best strategy, though. A highly-targeted approach to looking for work is going to be more successful. I know that I have [Read more…]

When you are applying for available freelance writing jobs or make a pitch to a prospective client, there are some things they are wondering about but won’t ask. Consider the following the next time you are communicating with someone new about your writing services: 1. “Are you reliable?” While freelancers may complain about clients who simply disappear, they aren’t the only ones who behave that way. A client wants to find someone who will show up and do the work they have been asked to do. 2. “Is your everyday work as good as your samples?” We pick and choose [Read more…]

Thank you to Jeanne Grunert, whose comment was the inspiration for this post. When you are preparing your freelance writing resume, do you list your clients’ names or do you keep them confidential? There isn’t one clear answer that will work for everyone. If you have signed a confidentiality agreement, then you can’t reveal the fact that you have worked for a specific client. I do include some client names on my resume and some others I don’t mention, although I do describe the kind of work that I have done for them. Here’s how I make the call: If [Read more…]

Looking for freelance writing work is something you should be doing constantly. Part of the process involves looking at and answering ads like the one we post links to on our Writing Jobs Leads blog. You also should be tackling the hidden job market regularly. Here are 3 tips for getting started. Look to Current Clients for More Work Current clients who are happy with your work are a great source for getting more assignments. I don’t know if you are in the habit of thanking your clients after the project has been completed and the client pays the balance [Read more…]

The “standard” resume format that most of us are familiar with is the chronological resume. In this style, the job seeker lists his or her previous jobs in reverse chronological order. This may not be the best choice for freelance writers, though. We may have long-term clients that we work with regularly, a series of short-term projects, or a combination of the two. Using a strict chronological format may not present us in the best way to a potential client, especially if there are gaps in our work history or times that are less busy than others. Another issue that [Read more…]

My fellow FWJ-er, Jennifer Chait, wrote a really interesting post where she gave her take on why you might not get hired for a blogging gig. I’d like to talk about a reason why you might get hired, and it doesn’t really have anything to do with your writing ability. Getting hired is partly a matter of chemistry. When a potential client is considering multiple applicants in response to a job ad, they may have several candidates with similar skill levels who would be a good fit for the project. How does someone decide who they want to work with? [Read more…]

I’ve been doing some thinking about cover letters for freelancers and how the hiring process can be different from getting a job in the brick-and-mortar world. Some clients do through an interview process, either by phone or e-mail, before they decide whether to hire you, but for others, the way you present yourself in your cover letter is your only opportunity to provide the answer to the question, “Why should I hire you?” To be honest, I’m not disappointed to skip the interview process. I don’t miss having to answer questions like “What is your biggest strength?” (I work hard) [Read more…]

I guess the short answer to that question is that it depends who you ask. Some potential clients ask to see it, and if they do, I would recommend that you submit one. There are other people who are more interested in seeing your samples and getting an idea of your writing “voice” than reading more paper. It’s a good idea to have a resume ready to show to a potential client if they would like to see it. If you are new to writing and you don’t think you have a lot of experience to share, take some time [Read more…]

Summer is finally here. I count the first day of summer as the day that school finishes, not the date on the calendar. When the weather is warm and kids are home, it may be tempting to put your search for freelance writing work on the back burner, too. There are good reasons for continuing to apply for gigs and pitch potential clients at this time of year, though. Less Competition for Available Gigs Some writers are taking time off or adopting a lighter work schedule during the summer, and this may mean few applicants for available writing gigs. You [Read more…]

When you work as a freelance writer, the actual writing is only part of what you do. Yes, you provide writing services, but I would argue that being a good listener is at least as important in this line of work as your ability to put words together effectively. When you are making contact with a potential client (whether you are responding to an ad or approaching them yourself), you want to impress upon that person that you understand their business and what they are trying to accomplish. The job you are talking about may be writing some SEO articles, [Read more…]

Every now and then, it’s a good idea to type your own name into the search box on Google and check out the results. You may be surprised by the type and amount of information about you that is readily available online. Why should you take this step and what does it have to do with looking for freelance writing work? It’s quite simple: A current or potential client who wants to know more about you may decide to check you out online. I have been contacted by two clients who have done so. In one case, someone I had [Read more…]